The Price of Revenge
by Son of The Jester
Summary: Ten years after watching his brother brutally killed by a 'monster', Corvo Draven has finally began his path to revenge. His weapon is The Gamer and his goal is set before him. How will meeting Rias and her peerage affect a soul driven only by hate and rage. Will they be able to calm the raging inferno burning inside him or be consumed by it? Gamer/DxD OCxRiasxAkeno
1. Chapter 1

**As promised, the first chapter for the rewrite of A Gamer's Path. I have three things I want to address really quick; the changes to the Game mechanics, the overall theme and mood of the story, and the pairings.**

 **1\. The Game has been altered to be more in depth and have better progression. The main thing I need to note is the Skill system; there are two types of Skill progression. The first is Level based, the Skill will gain Experience the more it is used and eventually level up, this increases the abilities of the skill. At a certain Level the Skill will evolve into a better and superior form. The other is Point based, the Player receives a number of Skill Points based on the number of Skills they have. The Player allocates the Points to improve the Skills effectiveness. Attributes are Point based.**

 **2\. This story will be darker than the previous incarnation, though while an ever present part of the story it won't be dark all the way through. There will be plenty of humor, romance, and general lightheartedness.**

 **3\. The main pairing should be obvious from the description; it will be Corvo with Rias and Akeno. The other pairings will be Kiba and Xenovia, Issei and Asia; potentially more. Koneko has yet to be decided, so input is welcome; as long as it has a reason, I don't want biases responses.**

 **Now with that out of the way I present: The Price of Revenge.**

 **Chapter One**

 **You have slept in an owned bed. HP, MP, and STA restored. Aliments cured.**

I awake to this message. You see two weeks ago I woke up to a message saying I was the new Gamer. As it sounds, I've essentially been turned into a video game character. I get Experience and gain Levels; I have Attributes and Skills. I look at my Attributes once again to check my progress.

 ** _Name: Corvo Draven_**

 ** _Title: None_**

 ** _Class: Avenger_**

 ** _HP: 300_**

 ** _HP Regen: 5 HP/ Sec_**

 ** _MP: 375_**

 ** _STA: 300_**

 ** _STA Regen: 5 STA/ Sec_**

 ** _Level 15_**

 ** _ATTRIBUTES_**

 ** _0 Points_**

 ** _PHYSICAL_**

 ** _Strength: 25/100_**

 ** _Endurance: 10/100_**

 ** _Vitality: 10 /100_**

 ** _Dexterity: 25/100_**

 ** _Agility: 25/100_**

 ** _MENTAL_**

 ** _Intelligence: 15/100_**

 ** _Adaptability: 15/100_**

 ** _Perception: 15/100_**

 ** _Fortitude: 20/100 (5+15)_**

 ** _SPIRITUAL_**

 ** _Power: 15/100_**

 ** _Projection: 10/100_**

 ** _Manipulation: 10/100_**

My Stats unquestionably lean toward a power based blitzkrieg style of combat. My high Agility, Dexterity, and Strength give me an ample boost to quick attacks and ambush tactics; though my low Vitality and Endurance will screw me over in a drawn out fight. That needs to be remedied, as I have no idea what my target is capable of. I should explain the target thing; you see, when I was 6 years old I watched my brother die. He was killed, and not by a human. While I don't know what killed him, I do know it was some sort of monster or demon. Everyone said that the shock and trauma of witnessing my brother die caused me to create a monster as a way to cope, but I know what I saw. Everyday since the age of 13 I have been training to get my revenge and this new ability will help me do so. I have trained in martial arts, swordsmanship, strategy, tactics, and the occult/supernatural. Shortly after I turned 13 my father got transferred to Japan and I've lived here ever since. About a year ago I got accepted into Kuoh Academy, unfortunately my father could not move to Kuoh due to his job; but I am old enough to live alone in Japan. So I've been living on my own for about a year, which is fine with me. It allows me to train in peace and now it will let me explore my new power without interruption. With that in mind I check my Skills.

 ** _SKILLS_**

 ** _0 Points_**

 ** _COMBAT SKILLS_**

 ** _[Physical]_**

 ** _Dash: Level 2_**

 ** _Power Leap: Level 2_**

 ** _[Spiritual]_**

 ** _Space-Eater: 15 /100_**

 ** _Shock Wave: 30 /100_**

 ** _Hundred Fang Blade: 25 /100_**

 ** _[Passive]_**

 ** _Combat Analysis: 34/100_**

 ** _SUPPORT SKILLS_**

 ** _[Physical]_**

 ** _Guard: Level 2_**

 ** _[Spiritual]_**

 ** _Harden: 12/100_**

 ** _[Passive]_**

 ** _Tactical Analysis: 34/100_**

 ** _Stealth: Level 4_**

 ** _PERSONAL SKILLS_**

 ** _Observe: Level 5_**

 ** _ZET-Form: Level 2_**

 ** _PERKS_**

 ** _Unshakable, Unbreakable_**

While I don't have many skills, the ones I do have serve me very well with the style of combat I have chosen. **_Space-Eater_** creates a spherical distortion in space that warps everything inside it. It's essentially a localized centripetal bubble of gravitational force that distorts the very fabric of space it occupies, destroying everything it touches. **_Shockwave_** , as the name suggests, creates a shockwave of kinetic force. The force is projected from my hands and can either be used to supplement my punches or to attack from a medium distance; though using it as a ranged attack greatly diminishes the damage it deals, but is good for knocking an enemy off balance. Also since it is pure kinetic force it has the ability to pass through some armor and hit the body directly. **_Hundred Fang Blade_** is my most interesting ability so far. It allows me to either transform any of my limbs into a blade or project blades from my body to form a deadly defense.

 ** _Guard_** is an activated ability that will automatically block the next physical attack directed at me. **_Harden_** is likewise an activated ability that drastically increases my defensive capabilities by turning my skin into an organic metal like substance. The best thing about **_Harden_** it has no time limit, it merely takes a portion of my Mana to stay active, lowering my overall Mana pool; an acceptable trade off to eliminate one of my inherent weaknesses. **_ZET-Form_** is a transformation that changes my appearance and increases all of my physical abilities by 10 Points, though I suspect that number will increase the higher it's Level gets.

The Perk **_Unshakable, Unbreakable_** has a few different effects. The first is it numbs my ability to feel pain, allowing me to fight through severe injury with little impact on my overall ability to continue. The second is an increase in Mental Fortitude allowing me to survive trauma and mental attacks much better. The final benefit is a healing factor that grants Health and Stamina regeneration.

Finishing the review of my current status, I get dressed in the standard Kuoh Academy male uniform. The only deviation to the dress code is a choker styled rosary my brother used to wear: a constant reminder of the path I am walking. After making sure I am presentable and have all my school supplies, I head out for the day.

 **Time Skip**

School is as boring as usual but a trip to the library, under the ruse of using the bathroom, yielded an interesting find; a book on supernatural encounters that appears to be well over one hundred years old. I haven't had a chance to read it but I have a feeling it will be exceedingly useful. Any creditable information on the supernatural world that is hidden from human eyes is of extreme importance to me. Three days after gaining my Gamer ability I was using Observe on everyone and everything to level it up and came across a man whose race was Gargoyle. After tailing him for several hours I witnessed him transform into a living Gargoyle; he was huge with grey skin and had large bat wings sprouting from his back. I followed him for a few minutes before he suddenly darted back towards me and lashed out with his claws. I nearly died that night; I also made my first kill. Ever since that fight I've been gathering as much reliable information on the supernatural races as I could, so as to not repeat that near death experience.

The only interesting that happened at school so far was a run in with Rias Gremory. She commented on how I've changed since last year; and given the way she said it, she wasn't talking about my appearance or behavior. She knows more than she's letting onto and I can't have that. Not until I determine whether or not she is a threat to my goal. I need to gain some information on her; the problem is that she's always with her club, which stands to reason that they know more than they should too. I need to find a way to gather information without raising suspicion. Come to think of it, Issei Hyoudou recently came to school with her. So it stands to reason that if I can become friends with him, I'll have an inside man to unknowingly feed me the information I require. It shouldn't be hard; his group, known as the perverted trio, has been trying to recruit me since last year. With my plan devised I wait for lunch to arrive.

Once the lunch bell rings I head for Issei and internally sigh. I hate being around these three; they are pathetic perverts with no hope of redemption. Well minus Issei, he does have potential, though he will be hard pressed to realize it.

"Issei, want to eat lunch with me?" He looks confused as I've made it clear on numerous occasions how I feel about his little group. "I'll explain as we eat, meet me on the roof."

Once he gets to the roof I point to the seat next to me and he sits down. He looks nervous, hell he looks down right scared. I don't blame him, I did beat the shit out of his bald friend after he tried to pin their peeping on me last month. Still he's brave enough to meet me on an empty roof all alone. After staring at him for a few more moments to make him sweat even more I finally speak.

"I invited you to eat with me to tell you that I am willing to start a friendship with you. You see the only reason I declined before is because those other two you hangout with. You have potential to grow into a decent person, they however are irredeemable, but it seems over the last few days you've stopped hanging out with them. So, here I am; do you still want to be friends?" He looks dumbfounded, but nods.

"Y-yes." Good, my plan is working. You see I don't really like Issei that much, but he now has a use. He's so far only shown himself to be a no good pervert with little to no hope; but with his recent departure from his group coupled with the Gremory girls sudden interest in him, he might be shaping up to be truly interesting. Regardless of my previous feelings I must befriend him, so I smile and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Good, do you want to hangout after school?" His eyes go wide and he looks worried.

"W-well I'd like to but I have club activities. I mean, we can hangout after that if it's ok." I just nod and smile. Good, he is already fulfilling his role. I now know he is in fact an actual part of Rias's little club.

"That's fine, I do have some things to take care of anyway, so I'll just get them finished early then meet up with you. Speaking of which, where do you want to meet up?"

"How about the arcade near the mall, it's where I usually hangout?"

"Sounds good, you probably should get to your club, but I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you later." He says before running off. As he disappears from sight I begin to formulate my plan to gain the information I need through him.

I should feel bad about using him, but I don't. That woman knows something and I need to find out what. She could ruin my plans and I will not allow that. Nothing will get in the way of my revenge; I'll do whatever it takes to avenge my brother. Even if it means casting off my very soul to do so, there is no price too high and no length I won't go.

 **Time Skip**

Heading to the arcade to meet up with Issei I review the information I gained for the book I found. It was primarily about Vampires and Werewolves, but did contain encounters with a few other species. It also coincided with other reliable information I have gathered and personal encounters with two of the races contained within the pages; I have fought two Werewolves and three Trolls. This new book contained some facts and tactics for fighting the races in it I was unaware of. All in all it was a great find.

Reaching the arcade I see Issei has beaten me here, a good sign, he is eager to obtain my friendship; an easily exploitable weakness. As I walk over to him he spots me and waves with a huge grin on his face. I reciprocate the action; he clearly isn't used to having friends other than the two perverts.

"So what do you want to play first?" He asks enthusiastically when I reach him.

"I don't, I've never been to an arcade." I reply honestly, with all the training and research I do I rarely have any free time. His face is a picture of shock as he processes my statement.

"Are you serious, you're a teenage boy and you've never been to an arcade? How is that possible, what do you do for fun?" He asks in pure exasperation. I chuckle at his antics, if nothing else he is good comic relief.

"Pretty much all my time not spent at school or sleeping is spent training or studying." I reply with a shrug of my shoulders, not seeing the big deal.

"Training? You mean like martial arts?" A nod is his answer.

"Swordsmanship too." After a few minutes his confusion turns into awe.

"That is so cool. You know martial arts and how to use a sword?" His expression turns to confusion once more. "If you know how to use a sword why aren't you in the kendo club?"

"In middle school I was the number one in the country for my age group. Kendo is no longer a challenge for me, so I see no reason to be in the club." I say simply.

"Seriously, you're that good? That's really damn impressive." He exclaims loudly, garnering the attention of everyone in earshot. I shake my head and motion to the arcade.

"Come on, show me what arcades are all about." He more than happily complies.

 **Time Skip**

Sitting on my bed I reflect on my outing to the arcade. It was the first time I have hung out with someone since my brother died. For the first year I was so depressed my parents pulled me out of school and my mom homeschooled me. The next six years I was distant and despondent. Barely speaking or interacting with even my parents. Then just days before the seventh anniversary of my beloved older brother's death we packed up and moved to Japan. Leaving the home I spent my childhood in, the place I watch my brother butchered; it triggered something in me, a raging inferno of pure rage, hate, and determination.

Every night, every time I close my eyes, every time I stop to breath I relive my brother's death. I can't escape those nightmares, but the thing that tortures me even more than that is the fact that in three years of searching I haven't come across a single strand of evidence or a minuscule piece of information about that night or what killed my brother. The sun has been down for about two hours and I haven't slept in four days; I have no choice but to give in to the terrible grasp that is the horror of sleep. Once again I will be drowning in unbearable fear and insufferable pain until the brief reprieve of morning comes, only to be snatched away by the same darkness creeping into my every waking moment.

 **Thank you for and please don't forget to review.**

 **With laughs,**

 **SonoftheJester**


	2. Learning through failure

**Well, here's chapter two of The Price of Revenge. There is some action in this chapter and of course more character progression/information. Something important I forgot to mention last time, I'm not going to drown you guys in Status screens and numbers. I'll be showing Corvo's Stats every couple of chapters or if there is a big change. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy.**

 **Chapter Two**

Every muscle in my body is tensed as I jolt awake; looking at the clock next to my bed reveals it to be 3am. After calming the rapid beating of my heart and the shaking of my body I get out of my bed and put on my typical non-school clothes. They consist of a long crimson coat with black leather armor on the shoulders, a black Under Armour long sleeve shirt, black cargo pants, and black combat boots equipped with boot knives.

I have a double edged short sword on either side of my waist, a double edged knife in each boot, three custom flash bangs on my belt, and several throwing knives throughout my clothing. I also have a compact winch system on each wrist that uses a strong titanium nanoweave wire. The wire is capable of attaching to a carabiner for grappling or to any of my knives for extended melee reach. The boot knives and winch systems are controlled with my magic.

All of my clothes and weapons have been enchanted by a mage I met last year. My clothes have the following enchantments: _Major Fire Resistance_ , _Major Cold Resistance_ , _Moderate Cutting Protection_ , _Moderate Piercing Protection_ , _Moderate Impact Resistance_ , _Minor Magic Resistance_ , and _Minor Explosion Resistance_. My weapons are enchanted with the following: _Superior Durability_ , _Superior Sharpness_ , _Major Anti-Magic Barrier_ , and _Minor Curse of Weakness_. With my gear equipped I head into the city.

There have been a string of brutal killings lately, the police have been blaming them on the Yakuza, but the wounds are inconsistent with the katanas the Yakuza love so much. The wounds are much too wide and nowhere near as precise as a katana cut. On top of that a dismissed statement from one of the local 'crazy' homeless men stated there was a large flying thing in the area around the time of the last death. While not much to go on, I'll check it out anyway. If it is something supernatural I'll exterminate it, if not I'll leave it to the cops; I have no interest in the affairs of humans.

Using my enhanced speed and the rooftops I traverse the distance between my place and the scene of the last death in no time. Crouching on the edge of an overlooking building I look over the crime scene. The police tape is still up and the ground is still covered in blood. Activating **_Observe_** I look around to see if I can find any evidence, after a minute or so I get two Alerts.

 **New Skill Created**

 **Observation Awareness- Combining enhanced sight and smell with information taken from the Player's thought process, Observational Awareness highlights and pinpoints anything of interest to the Player.**

 **New Skill Created**

 **Night Vision- Passively increases the Player's ability to see in the dark to its utmost limit.**

Fantastic, these Abilities will be very useful; activating them both I find the world is a different place. Everything is clearer and there isn't a trace of darkness, the world merely takes a purple tint while preserving every detail in prefect clarity. On top of that there are several things outlined in a glowing black light. On such thing is a set of claw marks below me, very large claw marks. Judging by their angle whatever left them leapt into the sky heading east, but there is not indication of a landing anywhere around me. This lends credibility to the homeless man's statement. Continuing to look around I see a couple of rather large feathers on the fire escape of the building across from me. There is also a faint blood trail leading east, the same direction the claw marks point. So east is where I'm heading.

After a few minutes of rooftop travel I land on the last building in my path, beyond that there is a large park with plenty of trees for cover. Looking back at the blood trail confirms the park is where my target retreated to. Dropping off the roof into the alley below I make sure all my gear is ready and start my trek into the park. After making it about 50 yards into the park the blood trail disappears and I have nothing to follow. Looking around I take in all of my surroundings and notice a tree with large cuts in the bark. Approaching the tree I inspect the cuts, they are about four inches deep and two inches long; interesting considering the marks on the roof were one inch deep and at least five long.

"Hm, why are the two sets of claw marks so different?" I ask aloud as I place my hands on my waist. Letting out a deep exasperated breath I spin around as fast as I can while launching two throwing knives into the darkness behind me; I hear only one hit a tree. The other hits flesh and is accompanied by a grunt of pain. Pulling out my short swords in a reverse grip I get in a battle stance. "It isn't nice to spy on people."

A growl is my only response. Gazing at the spot the growl came from confirms my target is supernatural; I can see the entire world in perfect clarity despite it being around four in the morning. Yet I can't see anything in the area my target stands in, meaning it is either producing unnatural darkness or projecting an illusion. Judging by my knife hitting it and it still being hidden, I'm leaning towards unnatural darkness. After a moment of waiting it leaves its hiding spot and damned if it isn't impressive.

Standing at about 8 foot tall, it is just under two feet taller than me. Its body is sculpted to perfection, all muscle and no fat; all accented by its golden skin. Massive eagle wings sprout for its back and a particularly dangerous looking beak rests on its eagle like face. A Garuda, powerful figures from Hindu mythology; even with the knife wound I inflicted and what looks like three bullet holes in its side, this will be a difficult fight.

"Two times in less than a day, I've been injured by a human, how pathetic of me." His voice is unnaturally deep and resonates with power; a normal man would be shaken by the pure authority it wields with nothing more than a few words. Not me, no to me he is just another chance to improve and get stronger. "Though I congratulate you, managing to sense my presence and hit me with a thrown knife. You might be worthy prey, unlike the rest."

That is all I need to hear, with his involvement confirmed I attack.

Bursting forward at full speed I catch him by surprise by **_Dashing_** the instant before I'm within striking range. With him caught off guard, I manage to land a decent slash along the right side of his ribcage. The second I'm out of his potential retaliation distance I whip myself around and **_Power Leap_** above him. He takes the bait and launches himself towards me, using his wings for extra speed. Flinging my right sword at him and following through with a spin sets me up to throw a perfect right straight at his face. As I expected he blocks at the last second, just before I release a **_Shockwave_**. The amplified force throws him into the ground hard enough to create cracks and a dust cloud.

Just before my feet reach the ground, he comes flying out of the dust so fast I can barely bring up my remaining sword to block his claws. The impact sends me crashing into a tree with enough force to snap it in half. Hitting the ground I shakily stand while checking my Stats. My MP and STA are fine, but I'm at just under half HP; one more full hit and I die. I feel the familiar rage bubbling up inside me but I force it away. I can't let my mind become clouded and my actions erratic, I need to maintain control. Taking a deep breath I focus on the moment.

As he flies at me again I jump just above him and **_Power Leap_** , sending him into the ground and launching myself forward. Landing in a roll I scoop up my discarded sword and place them both back on my waist. As the Garuda prepares to launch himself again I start running towards him, surprised but not deterred he continues his attack. Just before we collide I drop into a slide and release the wire on my right wrist, wrapping it around his left wing joint. I twist to a standing position and use both hands to jerk the wire as hard as I can. The resulting snap and pop are immensely satisfying. As he tumbles across the ground I launch six throwing knives at where he should regain his footing; once again my calculation is spot on. The moment he stands up his chest is impaled with six knives.

As he stumbles back I can feel my healing factor doing its job as I'm nearly back to full health. Not wasting a moment I rush my wounded foe while reaching for my swords and see him raise an open hand towards me; I take it as attempt to surrender. About five feet from him I realize how wrong I am, as a searing blast of light erupts from his hand and burns through the right side of my chest. Immediately I fall to the ground, grasping the hole in my chest. It's about the size of a softball and my health is at 10. My vision starts to go black as the Garuda approaches me with his hand outstretched. His face twists into confusion when I smile and laugh. The sound of my three flash bangs hitting the ground draws his attention away from me long enough for me to scramble back and turn around.

You see these are enchanted flash bangs, just like my weapons and armor. They possess the _Superior Blinding_ and _Superior Deafening_ enchantments. I can only assume he screams as they go off. While both of us are deaf, he is the only one that is blind; that is the only thing allowing me to escape.

 **Time Skip**

After reaching my room I collapsed on the floor and laid there for an unknown length of time while my body healed itself. Once the pain subsided I noticed an alert informing me I gained three levels. That gives me 24 Attribute Points and 30 Skill Points. With the failure against the Garuda fresh in my mind I place 4 Points into Vitality and the remaining 20 into Endurance. The small bump Vitality will give my HP is nice, but 20 Points in Endurance will increase my overall durability by a significant amount. I leave the Skill Points untouched, saving them for when I have more to spend them on.

Standing up I walk over to the mirror on my wall and take in my appearance. My medium length black hair is disheveled and my blue eyes have lost all the joy and brightness they once held. Looking at the hole in my jacket and shirt I sigh, I need to get them repaired and there's only one person in the city that can do it; Amisaki Kinu, better known as Kinu of the Rune. She is the best enchanter in the east and probably the world as a whole. Her lineage as an enchanter goes back ten generations. She also runs one of the largest magic shops in Japan, I'm lucky she likes me enough to not charge money. I merely give her the valuable parts of the beings I slay. Removing my jacket and shirt I head to my bed and pull a large chest out from under it. Opening it reveals only a few items and none of them are enough for what I need. I remember the feathers left by the Garuda, if they're still there that should cover the price, if not I'll beg.

Sitting down at my desk I mentally review the fight over and over at least a hundred times trying to formulate the fastest and most efficient way to make sure a fight never tips so far from my favor. I've already started fixing my physical weakness, so I need to focus on my non-physical ones. That fight could have gone a drastically different way if I had ranged magic in my arsenal and quicker defensive abilities. **_Space-Eater_** is my only true ranged attack and it takes too much energy and concentration to be effective in the middle of a high paced battle. **_Harden_** takes three seconds to fully cover my body and requires no movement to activate, also making impractical to use mid fight. Both are suited for pre-combat setup. Berating myself I realize I could have activated **_Guard_** several times to great effect.

I need to develop a complete arsenal of physical and non-physical abilities; offensive, defensive, and supplemental. I have a lot of work to do and no idea how much time I have to do it. My new short term goal is to learn and become proficient in at least two offensive, defensive, and supplemental abilities in one week. That is six abilities in seven days, normally impossible but The Gamer changes that. Looking at the clock I see I have an hour before school starts; I must have been healing for a while. Shrugging I get dressed in my school uniform and head towards Issei's house. Either he is alone and I further our friendship or Rias is with him and I insert myself in a better position for gathering information.

Five knocks and no answer, yet there is yelling and laughing inside; how fucking annoying. Twisting the handle I open the door and walk inside. On inside I slip off my shoes and set my bag down. Heading in the direction of the commotion I enter the living room and see Issei running around with no shirt on whilst attempting to snatch what looks like photo books out of the hands of Rias Gremory and her right hand; Akeno Himejima. As I step fully into the room all eyes snap to me.

"What, who are you?" The man I take to be Issei's father demands. I ignore him, as I am focused on Rias and Akeno.

They are by far the most beautiful girls I have even seen, they are breathtaking. I mean that literally, as in actually looking at them for the first time, my breath catches in my chest. For a brief moment I am completely enraptured, but am able to regain my senses before anyone but the two objects of my awe can notice. Looking at Issei and back to the books the girls are holding I walk over to Rias and grab the book in her hands. Looking at it I see pictures of a young Issei, maybe six or seven years old, groping a life sized doll. Sighing once again I toss him the book.

"Have you always been a dirty ass pervert?" I ask in a deadpan tone. Issei starts sputtering while trying to defend himself but his mom answers for him.

"Oh yes, our Issei has always been a hopeless slave to his inhuman lust." She informs me in a sad but resigned voice. "I'm surprised he was able to get such lovely girls to be his friends."

"Yeah, it makes little sense." I agree.

"Corvoooo." Issei whines at my blatant attack on his character.

"Oh shut up and get dressed or we'll be late." Realization hits him and he rushes up stairs; after about a minute of banging and cussing he runs back down.

"Bye mom and dad." He yells out as the four of us leave his house.

After a few minutes of walking, Rias breaks the silence.

"So, Issei, are you going to introduce us to your friend?" She asks in a sweet tone. The suspicion in her voice and in her and Akeno's eyes doesn't escape my notice.

"Ah, how rude of me; Rias, Akeno meet Corvo Draven. Draven this is Rias and Akeno." He says as we all come to a stop. Akeno tilts her head slightly and smiles; again I am taken with her beauty. Rias however holds out her hand, which I take and bring to my lips; a traditional European greeting. Brushing my lips across her knuckles I can feel the increase in her heart rate through her palm. Locking eyes with her I give my first true smile I what feels like a life time.

"The pleasure is most assuredly mine." My gaze drifts to Akeno, whom I wink at. I release Rias's hand.

"So Corvo Draven, we finally have a proper meeting." The look of knowing on her face both fills me with rage and makes my heart race with excitement.

 **Thank you for reading and please review if you are enjoying the story so far, as more reviews mean more motivation.**

 **With laughs,**

 **SonoftheJester**


	3. Where is my mind?

**Hello my dear readers, I am so sorry for the extended absence. To make up for it, I present my longest chapter ever. In history. I mean the previous two chapters came in at** **5,606 words combined, this chapter is 5,744 words. It more than doubled the length of the story. Now I feel it important to say, not every chapter from this point will be this length. They will most likely stay around 2,500- 3,000 words. So please enjoy the newest chapter of: The Price of Revenge.**

 **Chapter 3**

Absolutely and utterly fucking useless, three periods into the day and I haven't been able to focus on my classes for more than 30 seconds. My mind has been flooded with three things all morning; Akeno's smile, Rias blushing, and a voracious rage/infatuation. The look on her face when she said my name; she knows something and is teasing me. Never before did I believe that you could feel this much rage and exhilaration at the same time. Fuck it, I'm not going to get any work done today, so I'm just going to head to the library. Packing up my bag and heading to the door elicits no response from the teacher as this is a regular occurrence and seeing as how I have the highest scores in my grade, the school lets me get away with a little more than other students. As I reach the door I catch a glimpse of Issei out of the corner of my eye, he has a concerned look on his face no doubt caused by the look of anger and confusion on mine. I'll have to put his mind at ease later, but for now I have an anomaly to ponder. Once in the library I head to my usual spot in the back corner and sit in the familiar leather chair. Crossing my legs and leaning as far back as possible I close my eyes and start to dissect my problem.

Issei, Akeno, Rias, and the other two members of the club are all seemingly immune to **_Observe_** , yet Issei only became immune after hanging around Rias. So it stands to reason that they all have an ability that nullifies observational/information gathering abilities. While I do sense magic in each of them, there is no evidence to suggest they are actively using magic as a counter-measure; therefore the ability must be passive in nature. It isn't an artifact for two reasons: First being they aren't all wearing anything identical and second being artifacts like that are typically one of a kind.

My biggest concerns aren't that they are immune to **_Observe_** , but the fact that I have never come across a race with a passive ability like this and Issei is only now immune. I don't like this at all and right now the instinct to destroy all obstacles is beginning to over ride my newfound infatuation. Shaking my head clear I decide the head to _The Green Door_ and see Amisaki Kinu about fixing my armor and to see if she has any useful books or scrolls.

 **Time Skip**

After a short detour to gather up six Garuda feathers I reach my destination. My destination being a rather plain building with an emerald green door. Stepping through the door I am greeted by an interior much larger than it should be. You see _The Green Door_ is heavily enchanted on the outside to prevent anyone unwanted to enter. A normal person would see a plain shop front with nothing to offer them. If for some reason they decided to look around anyway the rest of the enchantments distract them and implant false memories of an important event to draw them away. Then you have the inside which is a magical pocket dimension, thus explaining the massive inside verses the small outside.

"Ah, my sweet Corvo, what brings you here when you should be at school?" A sweet yet sharp voice greets me as I enter. Smiling, I turn towards the source of the voice.

"Miss Kinu I am here for your assistance and to browse your goods." I reply in a polite tone. "As for school I was very distracted by various uncertainties, so I figured a change of venue might help."

With a heavenly chuckle, Miss Kinu walks over to me. She is around 5'5 and has waist length black hair. While in her early 40's she still has the beauty of a woman two decades younger than her. This is all complimented by a deep blue kimono. She stops a couple feet in front of me with a soothing smile on her face.

"What do you need assistance with my dear?" I pull my ruined armor out of my bag and her smile drops. Looking at me with narrow eyes she starts to speak but I stop her by pulling the feathers out of my bag.

"I also bring you these." I say while handing them to her.

"Garuda feathers, how on earth did you manage to get these?" She asks in shock. Garuda are technically divine beings as they are the companions of Vishnu himself. They are rarely sighted and almost no one survives an encounter with one.

"The murders happening around town lately were committed by one. I found the feathers at the last crime scene. The Garuda is also the reason my armor is so damaged. I was unaware they could use light magic. Hopefully the feathers will cover the repairs, replace my lost weapons, and some other things I find while looking around." After overcoming her shock she shakes her head.

"Corvo, six Garuda feather is worth about four pounds of gold; that's over 73,000 USD. You're good on money here for a long time. Give me your armor and tell me what weapons you need to replace and I'll get started while you look around. Just write down what you take and leave the list on the counter." I hand her my armor and tell her I need throwing knives and flash bangs. She then retreats to her workshop and I start walking around.

After browsing for nearly two hours I found the six skills in will learn and master within a week. The first two are from books: **_Activated Acceleration_** is an activated ability that triggers an increased output of adrenaline and norepinephrine which increases speed, strength, thought speed and processing; the increase in output is 1x for every five points, so ten points would be 2x and so on. **_Magical Enhancement_** allows me to augment my speed and strength by converting Mana into physical energy. So I now have STA and MP based physical buffs.

The other four abilities came from scrolls: **_Multi Strike_** came from an old Chinese martial arts scroll and teaches how to turn a single strike into several at once, it starts at two strikes and will increase as the Skills Level increases. **_Suppression Field_** creates a two yard field that reduces an opponent's magical ability by 15%. **_Stasis Dome_** forms a sphere of time distortion that slows time by 10%, the draw back being that it also affects the caster. And finally **_Gravity Spheres_** summons a softball sized spheres of purple-black gravity for every five Points, that circles the user and automatically reacts to attacks, they are one offs but can also be launched as projectile attacks. I allocate 10 Points to **_Activated Acceleration_** , ** _Stasis Dome_** , and ** _Gravity Spheres_**.

Since it took me so long to make my choices Miss Kinu has finished my requests already. She is surprised to see me still in the shop.

"Still here I see. Well here is your equipment and I added a _Moderate Light Protection_ to all your armor. What all did you end up choosing?" I exchange the list of books and scrolls for my armor and flash bangs. This extra enchantment will come in handy against not dying to an enemy using light magic. "Now then, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Actually there is. Would you be able to get your hands on a couple of powerful swords by chance? Fighting that Garuda made me realize that my current weapons aren't going to be effective against high level opponents." She stares at me for a long time, as if she is studying me and my intentions. After what seems like an eternity she speaks.

"Hang around for a while; I have a friend coming by for a consultation. He specializes in magically enhanced and cursed weapons and might be able to help you. Granted you can pass his tests. All of his weapons are extremely dangerous and need to be used by someone strong enough for the particular weapon." I nod and ask if there is anything I can do to help her out.

After an hour of organizing some equipment and scrolls I hear the door open and Miss Kinu start talking to a man with a deep but smooth voice. Deciding not to interrupt her business I keep organizing her stuff until she calls for me to come out of the back and meet her friend.

"Corvo, allow me to introduce you to Demetrio Alighieri, descendant of the famed Dante Alighieri; the man who traversed the nine circles of hell. He currently holds possession of 23 of the most dangerous weapons in the world, due to Demetrio having an incorruptible soul." Demetrio Alighieri is a tall and athletically built man. He appears to be in his early 30's. His black hair is swept back in a very professional manner. He has a black neatly trimmed goatee and wears frameless rectangular glasses. He is dressed in a black dress shirt with a charcoal grey vest and red tie. He has on black dress pants and black dress shoes. He looks at me for a moment before extending his hand, I grasp it and we shake.

"So you're the mysterious Corvo Draven that Amisaki has been telling me about. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He says in a cordial manner.

"It's likewise a pleasure to meet the descendant of such a famous and influential person. I hope we get along." I say with a slight bow.

"I hear you are looking for some weapons and after everything Amisaki told me about you I have two swords in mind. If you can pass my tests I will transfer possession of them to you." As he finishes talking he pulls out a syringe and faster than I can keep up with at this distance injects the contents into my neck. "The first test starts now."

The moment he finishes his sentence I feel a pulse of mind shattering pain. I drop to my knees as more pulses come faster and faster until the pain is constant. The level of physical pain is so immense that it is affecting my mind. It feels as if my mind is in the process of shattering slowly; every ounce of my being is in excruciating and unrelenting pain. My breath is coming less and less frequently and is increasingly shallow each time it does. My heart is pounding in an erratic fashion and feels as if lightning is coursing through it. I can feel my blood literally boiling in my veins. My vision is fading to black and I can feel death slowly taking over my body.

As the end rapidly approaches I hear a completely inhuman roar leave my lips and I begin to fight back. Fueled by my never ending hate, rage, and pain I force the feeling of death out of my body and snuff out the pain that is racking everything I am. As I struggle against whatever is in my body I focus on the sight of my dead brother. His torso ripped open, his intestines covering the room, his eyes removed, and the large pool of blood I fell in. I think about looking in the mirror afterwards and seeing myself drenched in the blood of my beloved older brother. With another inhuman roar I banish the pain and death in me completely.

Shakily standing up I see both Miss Kinu and Demetrio smiling and nodding their heads. Demetrio helps me steady myself and Miss Kinu hands me a glass of water. Demetrio waits for me to finish drinking before speaking.

"54 minutes, that is by far the quickest I have ever seen someone breakout of the "9 levels" influence before." He says with approval and admiration in his voice. "It took me an hour and fifteen minutes. You have an insanely strong will. Your next test is to eliminate a large group of Hobgoblins lead by a Mountain Troll."

He hands me a slip of paper with the location of the group, which is about two hours away from Kuoh. This will be a tough battle, while individually weak Hobgoblins are very dangerous in groups. They are much larger than their Goblin cousins and are much smarter, capable of advanced tactics and strategy. While they can't use magic they have well above average fighting skill. They can see almost perfectly in the dark and are proficient in stealth. With a capable leader a group of 15 can defeat a group of 30 knights.

Speaking of capable leaders; Mountain Trolls are the most dangerous and powerful breed of Troll. They are slightly lager, stronger, faster, tougher, and significantly smarter. They also have an inherent ability to use Earth Magic. Leading a band of Hobgoblins, a Mountain Troll has the potential to be a serious threat.

"Very well, I will head home and grab my weapons and head out today. I will return in three days with the Mountain Troll's head as proof of my completed task."

"Three days? That's rather ambitious is it not?" Miss Kinu asks while laughing slightly. Demetrio's smile just grows wider.

"It'll be one hell of an impressive feat; I look forward to you succeeding." With that I take my leave.

After reaching my house I gather my weapons, traps, and supplies. I then call Issei to inform him of my short absence.

"Sup Corvo." He answers in a jolly voice. "Whatcha up to?"

"Hey Issei, I called to inform you that I will be taking a three day trip to visit my parents in Tokyo." I smoothly lie.

"Oh." He sounds saddened by this news; he really values our friendship it appears. "Well, it is good that you get to see you parents. It must be hard to live so far away from the, I can't imagine."

"My studies and training keep me pretty busy and distracted, but I do miss them." I really do, even though my revenge is all I care about I still love my parents. They supported me through my years of depression and continue to support my growth as a person. "Besides, it's only three days. I'll be back before you know it."

"True, just make sure you text me as much as you can."

"Will do, I'll let you know when I arrive." With that we hang up and I head out to complete my second test.

 **Time Skip**

Arriving in the area of my target I begin to do some recon. The area is a pretty dense forest with a few creeks and some clearings. There is also what appears to be a cave system near a small lake to the northwest. I didn't scout it out as it is the most likely spot for my targets to set up camp. Getting close enough to examine the area is too much of a risk this early into my trip. Instead I focus on mentally mapping out the surrounding area and locating the best spots for traps. I spend the rest of the day memorizing ever inch of my hunting grounds.

I wake up at dawn and proceed with phase two of my plan. I begin looking for small groups of Hobgoblins and tracking them for a while. I'm establishing what the typical routine is and what holes there are in their movements. By the time noon comes around I have gathered enough information and retreat to my makeshift shelter. Eating a couple of sandwiches I review what I learned.

They send out two parities of three to five every 45 minutes and the return at the same pace. The parties hunt small animals, gather berries, or check for signs of foreign parities. Luckily I am pretty good with stealth, in fact I gained two Levels in Stealth and Leveled up twice. Turns out that hour's of successful stealthing gains a lot of experience.

The biggest weakness they have is while on a timetable, their parities are completely lacking in order. There is no movement pattern or communication; I watched two hunting parties search the exact same area back to back. They go in random directions when they leave and wander around in an aimless fashion while they're out. I'd easily be able to eliminate both parties before the 45 minutes is up.

Their numbers are about 42 or so. I'm not entirely sure as I've seen some come and go from the caves, so there could be a few more hiding in the cave system. I'd say no more than 15 more. The potential 15 plus the mountain Troll put the number up to 58 potential enemies and 43 confirmed. The best course of action is the plant the traps in the locations I picked out, eliminate the two parities within the 45 minute window, rush the camp and take out seven to ten, then lead them into the forest and pick them off with traps and guerrilla tactics. The Mountain Troll can wait until the Hobgoblins that follow me into the forest are dead. It won't follow due to the Mountain Troll's biggest weakness being it is unused to being in unfamiliar environments for long periods. It'll stay near the caves until I confront it. So now to spend the rest of the day setting up the traps and wait for the bloodshed that is coming tomorrow.

 **Time Skip**

12:15, time to strike. Rushing through the trees I locate the first party 50 yards ahead after 15 minutes. There's four walking in a standard, albeit tight, square formation. Too easy, this will take seconds. Pulling out my short swords I **_Dash_** forward and slam the swords through the foreheads of the two in the front as their bodies hit the ground I twist around and activate my right boot knife and carve a deep gash into the throat of the Hobgoblin on the right with a quick roundhouse kick. As the remaining Hobgoblin goes to yell and alert the other party in cup my left hand over his mouth and slam my right hand around his throat and hold it with a vice grip. Lifting him up, I slam him into the ground hard enough to break his spine and ribs. Pulling back my right hand and channeling Mana into it, I release his mouth and crush his skull with my enhanced punch. Retrieving my swords I take off in search of the second party, which only takes seven minutes.

The second group consists of five and is in a more spread out circular formation, this won't be as quick as the first group; but still will be over in less than a minute. Once again **_Dashing_** towards the enemy I fling my left sword at the Hobgoblin furthest from me. While the sword is flying towards its target I thrust my right sword forward. They both pierce the heart of their targets simultaneously. Releasing my grip on the sword I continue moving forward, whipping my fight arm in the direction of the Hobgoblin on the left and wrap the wire around his neck. At the same time I leap in the air in a corkscrew and pull him into the air over me. As I land in a crouch I yank the wire and break his neck. As I release the wire from around his neck I also pull out the knife on my left ankle. I proceed to take off towards the two Hobgoblins running at me; I fling the knife into the skull of the one on the left and lean left to dodge the sword swing of the final one. The missed strike causes the Hobgoblin to lose balance; as it regains its footing I grab its wrist and chop the bend of its arm to redirect the sword into its chest, right below the neck.

After retrieving and replacing my weapons I make my way to the base camp. The elimination of the two parties only took 29 minutes with another five minutes to reach the camp. As I silently approach the camp I see the next two parties are getting ready to depart, each consisting of five members. As close as they are together I could take out all ten with a single **_Space-Eater_** , followed with an overloaded **_Shockwave_** in both arms on the group of four; that would leave 19 to deal with in the couple of minutes it will take for the Mountain Troll to show up with whatever reinforcements they have. Fuck it; yield to the moment like flesh does the knife.

I quickly dump my twenty points into Agility then activate **_Harden_** and **_Gravity Spheres_** for extra insurance. It takes about five seconds before **_Space-Eater_** is ready to use but the effects are immediately seen; while only six feet in diameter the force of its pull can be felt over 50 feet away. As it warps the space around the group of ten it also pulls other Hobgoblins off their feet, providing the perfect time to strike. I **_Power Leap_** to position myself above the group of four and charge up a **_Shockwave_** in each arm; the resulting explosion nearly obliterates the Hobgoblins below me and knocks the still standing one on their asses. I pull out four Storm Grenades; they are grenades with the _Major Lightning Strike_ and _Major Razor Wind_ enchantments. I lob them at the eight Hobgoblins across the clearing and the elemental onslaught is more than they can survive. 11 left and I can hear the Mountain Troll making its way through the caves.

It looks like luck is on my side today; they are regrouping into a single group. No doubt to try an overwhelm me. Oh, I'm about to paint this clearing with their blood. Raising their various swords, spears, and axes they haphazardly charge me.

Pulling out my short swords in a reverse grip I charge them with my newly increased speed. Judging by the look on all their faces I must be a blur to them. Reaching the pack of 11 I decapitate the two in the front and follow it with a **_Reinforced_** spinning side kick to the head of the next on. The kick caves in his skull and sends him tumbling into the three to the left of him; knocking them onto the ground. Spinning around I block the downward strikes of the two on the right. As the try to overpower me I simply crouch slightly and spin through the gap between them, at the same time I lash out with my blades and leave large gashes from their stomachs to their back, they'll bleed out in moments. Three of the remaining six try to overtake my by jumping in the air to and land powerful downward cleaving strikes on me. I don't even get a chance to react before the three **_Gravity Spheres_** launch themselves into the chests of my attackers. They explode with significant gravitational force, completely destroying the upper bodies of their victims. Looking towards the cave's entrance I can see the Mountain Troll's shadow covered about to exit it. Deciding to end the current battle I put a throwing knife into the throat of the remaining three Hobgoblins. I'm confused as to why this is a test, these Hobgoblins were unusually easy to defeat. At that moment my luck ran out and my confusion ended.

Flanking the Mountain Troll two on each side was four of the most dangerous Hybrids I've ever seen. Hobgoblin-Orc Hybrids and they were bigger than this Hybrid type typical gets. Each was about nine feet tall and looked like fucking brick walls. None of them had any armor, but they did have massive double-sided battle axes. The Mountain Troll was also unusually massive, standing at 15 or so feet. He also looked like a walking mountain; his goddamn club is bigger than I am. I will put my life on the fact that his earth magic is also much stronger than the norm. Fuck me; this is going to be hard.

"You killed my hoard. I can respect the strength it took to do that and shall give you the chance to flee with your life." The Mountain Troll's voice booms in the silence and is gravelly in sound. I take full advantage of this momentary interlude to recover as much as I can, while my HP is untouched my MP is a 40 and my STA are pretty low. While I do regenerate STA and HP slowly, I have no active Mana regeneration as such I can use a couple more **_Shockwaves_** or a couple of minutes of **_Magical Reinforcement_** , so things are looking pretty bad for me. Retreating is the most logical option, but doing so will prevent my self-imposed three day time limit. Beside if I retreat these five will either follow me or move on to a different location. No matter how logical retreating is, I have no choice but to fight. If I drop the **_Harden_** my Mana jumps to 90, it's not much of a fall back but it's all I have.

Quick inventory before my opponents get restless. Full HP, STA will be full in a few seconds, Mana is currently at 40 with an additional 50 if I drop my extra defense, two Storm Grenades, four Flash Bangs, nine throwing knives, and my standard weapons. With my recently increased speed, ** _Activated Acceleration,_** and the _Minor Curse of Weakness_ on all my blades my best bet is to try and win through speed blitzing them until they are too weak to be a threat. One on one I could beat the Hybrids in a straight fight and possible the Mountain Troll too, but not in a five on one; there's no way in hell I win this head on. _Minor Curse of Weakness_ stacks based on either number of cuts or time of exposure, if I can stick a throwing knife in the back of each Hybrid and five in the Mountain Troll, my chances go up tremendously. At least I have some semblance of a plan.

Sheathing my swords causes the five to relax their guard a little, but it's enough. Bursting forward I gamble five Mana worth of **_Enhancement_** to further increase the speed of my reckless blitzkrieg. By the time I'm five feet from the group they've regained their guard and activating a **_Dash_** I close the remaining distance faster than they can hope to keep up with. One foot away I **_Power Leap_** over them and twist in the air. At the peak of my ascent I launch five throwing knives at the Mountain Troll, all hit their mark. The moment I land I'm forced to throw myself to the left in order to escape a decapitating blow from H1. As I roll I draw my short swords and active **_Guard_** to intercept a swing from H2, as I allow the force of the strike to carry me backwards I kick my right leg up and puncture H2's left bicep with my boot knife. As I am carried back my boot knife tears through the muscle and by the time it exits the arm, the bicep is rendered useless. I land about ten feet away and see that my STA is full, smirking I break open **_Activated Acceleration_** for its debut. The effects are immediate, I can feel the newly introduced power coursing through my veins and time seemingly slows down slightly; I know this is my increased perception but it is still an amazing thing. The most fascinating thing is how I know; I know what the increase is and how to completely control my new physical abilities. I know that each increase yields two Points to my Strength, Agility, Dexterity, and Perception, for a current total of six extra Points in each.

As H3 and H4 rush me I put my increased abilities to the test. H4 leaps in the air for a vertical slash and H3 aim a horizontal chop at my ribcage. Pivoting around on one foot so my back is facing H4 I propel myself towards him. The action moves me out of the path of H3's attack and slams me into H4's lower half, sending him crashing to the ground. Capitalizing on my successful evasion I charge H3 while slashing the back of H4's right thigh. As H3 swings the broadside of his ax at me I wait until the last second to jump up, twist my body so my feet are an inch away from the ax, and **_Power Leap_** using the ax as a springboard. I feel the ax crack a bit under the force of my leap. Rotating in the air so I am right side up I rocket towards H1. As I go to pass him I stab my right sword into his left shoulder. Tightening my grip I use the now implanted sword to halt my momentum and land behind H1 as he is yanked to the ground by the sudden force of me using him as an emergency break.

Ripping the sword out of H1's shoulder I spin around and slice into H2's right side as I dodge his sloppy one handed strike; it's impressive he can even use that ax with just one arm. Hearing something approaching at a high speed I spin around just in time to have a large stone slam into my chest. The force of impact throws me off my feet and I land a few feet away from where I was hit. That attack took 100 HP and destroyed my momentum. Seeing I've burned a little over half my STA I cancel **_Activated Acceleration_** and scramble to my feet. Quickly accessing the situation slightly angers me. H1 and H2 each have a useless arm, H3 has a damaged weapon, and H4 has a bum leg. Until the fucking Mountain Troll interfered I was making pretty damn good progress. The _Minor Curse of Weakness_ is taking visible effect on the Hybrids, but that goddamn Mountain Troll looks completely unhindered. Sheathing my swords once more I slowly grab the last two Storm Grenades I have, luckily they are only slightly larger than a golf ball. The Hybrids have boxed me in, most likely an attempt to control where I can go. With the small amount of STA I have gained I trigger **_Activated Acceleration_** and bank everything on this next attack. If I can't take out all the hybrids with my next move, I won't survive. I can see the Mountain Troll getting ready to unleash unholy hell on me as soon as his men are clear. With the power I felt behind that minor earth attack I can't afford to focus on me the Troll.

I ready myself and the Hybrids rush in. I run towards H1 and he leans his shoulder down to meet me with a full on charge attack; good. Right before we connect I slam my shoulder down and roll over him and slam a foot into the back of his left knee as I land. I proceed to jam the Storm Grenade in my right hand into the hole in his shoulder. I then hook my right arm under his left armpit and wrap my left arm over his neck and fling mine into H3. As they collide I rush towards H2 and drop to my knees, sliding right under his attack. Thrusting my left hand into the tear in his side I release the Grenade and place my right hand on his thigh. Planting my hard, I come to a stand and throw H2 into H4 and **_Power Leap_** away right as the Storm Grenades go off. As I soar through the air I pull the knives out of my boots. Landing, I don't even look to see if my attack worked. I launch myself at the Troll as fast as I can. He responds by hurling stone spears at me, I weave through them the best I can but a few manage to land glancing blows on me in various places but **_Harden_** negates the damage. As I near him he swings his massive club at me, but I slide under it and end up behind him. Before he can turn around I jump on his back and climb up to his shoulders. I slam the knives into the base of his neck and shoulders about 23 times before he can grab me and slam me into the ground. 150 HP lost. The impact stuns me for a second and that is all it takes.

I heard the snaps and cracks of my left arm being stomped on before I felt the pain. While intense it was nothing compared the "9 Levels". With a roar I turn over and stab the Troll in the foot, luckily just above where my arm is. As he stumbles back I jump to my feet, if it wasn't for **_Harden_** I would have lost my arm and taken more than 85 Damage. With my HP at 40 and my STA nearly depleted I need to end this. The Mountain Troll starts a rage fueled charge with his club raised above his head. Seeing the end I match his charge with my own. With my huge speed advantage I close the distance faster than he can react to. Dropping my **_Harden_** I launch myself at him and use 40 of my remaining 85 Mana into **_Reinforcing_** my right arm. As the blow connects to the left side of his ribcage I release 45 Mana worth of **_Shockwave_** into him. The resulting force completely destroys the entire left side of his torso. As both of our bodies fall to the ground I laugh. I'm at 40 HP, have no STA or MP, and pushed myself to the point of exhaustion and yet this fight seems to have been a little easier than is should have been and I know why. Fear, I felt none the entire fight; caution maybe but never fear. If anything I felt excitement, anticipation, and enjoyment. As I stand up and fetch a discarded ax I can't help but wonder.

Just how far gone is my mind?

 **Thank you for reading. Please review, I accept all reviews. Though I don't like pointless flaming, I do enjoy constructive criticism.**

 **With laughs,**

 **SonoftheJester**


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